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Early Beginnings and Educational Achievements

Paul Okalik was born in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, on May 26, 1964. Okalik graduated from Carleton University with an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Canadian Studies. Okalik then pursued further post-secondary education, completing his law degree at the University of Ottawa in 1997. On February 12, 1999, Okalik was called to the Bar. In 2005, he was awarded a Doctor of Laws from Carleton University.

Pre-Political Life

Prior to being elected to the first Nunavut Legislative Assembly, Okalik worked as the Deputy Chief Negotiator and Special Assistant to the President of Tungavik, Federation of Nunavut, and participated as a member of the negotiating team for the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement which advocated for a settlement agreement that had been evolving for generations. The Nunavut Land Claim Agreement was signed in 1993, becoming the largest land claim in Canadian history. Okalik proceeded to lay the groundwork for the creation of the Inuit Heritage Trust (an organization that deals with Inuit ethnographic objects and archives), Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, Nunavut Implementation Training Committee (an organization that supports training for organizations involved in land claims), and Nunavut Social Development Council.

Political Life

Okalik was elected to the first Nunavut Legislative Assembly in February 1999. He was elected Premier in March 1999. After being re-elected to a second term as MLA for Iqaluit West on February 16, 2004, the Honourable Paul Okalik was chosen by his peers to continue serving as Nunavut’s Premier. His selection at the March 5, 2004 leadership forum in the Nunavut Legislature marks the first time a sitting Premier has received a second term in the non-partisan consensus government system that is in place in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Okalik holds the portfolios of Justice, Aboriginal Affairs and Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs. His responsibilities as Premier have a highly significant impact on the residents and growth of Nunavut.

Nunavut is built on a consensus model of government and operates within the principles of Canadian parliamentary democracy. All Members of the Legislative Assembly in Nunavut are elected as independent members. This type of government is a key to Nunavut’s development. The system fuses the principles of Parliamentary democracy with Aboriginal values.

Personal and Community Life

Paul Okalik has three children, Shasta, Jordan, and Béatrice. In his spare time, Okalik enjoys hunting, fishing, and golfing. He is fluent in Inuktitut and English, and also studies French. Okalik is committed to Nunavut and its people, and furthering the role Nunavut plays both within Canada and worldwide.